Arbor Biotechnologies shining with new CRISPR enzyme

Arbor Biotechnologies is shining with its new CRISPR enzyme and has successfully bagged USD 15.6 million in series A funding. The company has recently announced its first scientific discovery of a new enzyme, Cas13d, a CRISPR-Cas13 enzyme. It could offer advantages over other enzymes including small size facilitating the packaging into the viruses used to deliver CRISPR.

Adaptimmune and GSK’s T-cells initiates responses in solid tumor patients

Adaptimmune has received fractional responses in three out of the first four round cell/ myxoid liposarcoma (MRCLS) patients treated with its T cells. Early data has elevated hopes the GSK-partnered drug will be effective against multiple types of solid tumor, boosting Adaptimmune shares bv nearly 20%.

T-cells derived from tumor showed promising results against ovarian cancer

Biotechnologically engineered T-cell treatments based on immune cells taken from a patient’s blood itself have seen positive results in blood cancers, but are comparatively harder to deploy against solid tumors. Main problem is that most of the tumors don’t have enough mutations that would alert the immune system that the cancer is present. However, extracting T-cells directly from tumors, culturing them invitro and then putting them back into the patient could be an effective alternative.

Ionis Pharma finds new commercialization partner after GSK’s rejection

Ditched by GSK last year, Ionis Pharma has found a new partner for commercializing Inotersen. New partner is Akcea Therapeutics, a subsidiary of Ionis Pharma, spun out to develop and commercialize 4 antisense drugs. Ionis expects that the drug will be able to bag U.S. and EU approvals by midyear for the treatment of hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (hATTR).